Disclaimer

Mad Hatter's Bookshelf & Book Review routinely receives books from Publishers and Authors for review consideration. When in doubt assume the book comes from a Publisher or if you follow my New Procurement posts I usually describe the source of said book. I still buy a lot of books as well.

Many well read books get anniversary editions, but few if any get a re-release in hardcover for said anniversary. American Gods by Neil Gaiman is that odd duck that gets the honor this year from Morrow in an Author's Preferred Edition this June. The cover mimics the direction of both the US hardcover and paper release only in a more staid fashion. This edition being the preferred will also contain about 12,000 more words than the original release plus a new introduction. The hardcover first edition was 480 pages and this edition will clock in at 544 pages or so. Before you could only get this version in the Hill House limited edition and I believe there was a British edition that came out as well, but this version has never seen wide release in the States.

American Gods has been my go to novel not only for re-reading, but as a gift. At this point I've given or lent a copy to nearly all of my friends. I currently own a signed first edition hardcover, the lovely signed limited edition from Hill House along with the accompanying reading copy, and a paperback edition which is probably the 4th or 5th I've owned after all the lending. So do I need the new version? No. But will I get the new version? You know it. The completest in me can't keep away. Below I've also assembled a sampling of the cover treatments American Gods has received around the world. Some are pretty out there. I'm still a fan of the original hardcover release.

US Hardcover

UK Hardcover

US Paperback

UK paperback (author's preferred edition)

French Hardcover

Spanish Hardcover

Russian Hardcover

Polish Hardcover

German Hardcover

So which is your favorite? Also, the Wertster has news on a Good Omens TV mini-series in development that apparently has the blessing of Neil and Terry Pratchett.

I really loved American Gods and will probably end up buying it sometime fairly soon so it can be in my "go to" pile as well. As for the cover art, it's hard to choose! I do, however, like the new anniversary edition. I think it looks fairly snazzy.

I'm not all that crazy about the cover for the Anniversary Edition. I guess it makes sense, but it's practically the same cover I've got on my bookshelf already. I love the art on the Polish edition - but I'm partial to Eastern-European art in general.

I may pick this up, but overall, I'm annoyed that the book publishing industry has learned from the DVD publishers... that adding "new bonus features" will ensure people buying the same product again and again, while essentially pissing on the fans who bought the first edition (and thus helped make it a best seller to begin with...)

The Spanish and Polish ones are my favorite, as they seem to fit the book best. The German one is like a bad flashback from the late nineties. The new one is a tad understated, but I will, like so many others, check it out anyway :)

UK Hardcover for the soft green tinted image and the Spanish for the boldly stated symbols. personally, the French cover has too much of a political feel to it and the German cover simply doesn't do the trick for me.